Falling
by UnintendedBliss
Summary: "Artemis's eyes twitched with every sound. Every beep of the heart monitor abused his ears..." When a new criminal is after Artemis at his his most vulnerable state, how will he prevail when he has lost his mind? When his alters have their own needs? Arty's Atlantis Complex. AxH fluff. MORE ACTION! NEW CHARACTERS! Might make a sequel if people R&R! UPDATED CHPTRS SINCE 25/9
1. Disaster

**A/N: Hellooo! Okay, so as you might know, this is almost an improvement of my story "The Long Way Home." BUT MORE ACTION BECAUSE ACTION IS EXCITING! I like this scenario better. Same alters from TLWH. Enjoy! Ooh, guess who's out first... O.o I WAS ARTY'SAWESOMELOAFERS, so sorry for not making that clear. I did display it on my profile page, but how are you meant to know that? Sorry, sorry sorry... **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Artemis Fowl series. I wish, and same for the Inheritance cycle. *sigh* As you know, I only own my alters. (That is, everyone but Orion) **

**Chapter One: Disaster **

_Beep._

Artemis's eyes twitched with every sound. Every beep of the heart monitor abused his ears, thrusting him into panic. Above his pronounced cheekbones were two intense, mismatched eyes, focusing on the plain ceiling of the J. Argon clinic. His pale fists clenched the white sheets, tendons protruding, purple veins streaming under paper-white skin. His hair was a dishevelled mess of raven strands, poking out in random directions. Time ticked slowly by, inviting him to lose his sanity. His chest felt constricted, as if someone had shrunken his ribs, leaving meagre space for his organs. His breaths were shallow and painful.

_Beep._

"_The 'mastermind', Artemis Fowl II, has appeared to have truly lost it this time. Very few support the decision that he should be treated in the J. Argon clinic. No one knows what happened to the teenager, and his 'friends' refuse to speak. Rumours of Fowl acclaiming Atlantis Complex have been spreading like wildfire. Could he be a threat to us fairy folk? Is it safe having this boy in Haven? Until more information is disclosed, this is Kent Anderson, reporting from before the J. Argon clinic, near Haven city." _

_Beep._

The quietest moan escaped Artemis's throat. His head constantly throbbed, as if someone had struck it with a baseball bat. His attempts at escape were futile. He wandered through the endless maze of loneliness, met a turn, and resumed dismally down the path that he knew would never end. He wanted to laugh, not out of humour, but out of frustration. Closing his eyes, he wanted to disappear. He saw horrible things. Insomnia stalked him, yet he was glad; he never wanted to dream again. They would only disturb him further.

"Please, Dr. Argon, I need to see him." Artemis's alert eyes shot to the door, where the voice had originated from.

Someone sighed, supposedly Dr. Argon. "Alright, but he isn't himself… his _usual _self. Just be quiet."

The door slowly opened. Trailing behind the gnome was his elf friend, Holly, her mismatched eyes shining with worry. Artemis tried to control his racing heart; something warned him that the situation was dangerous. Some part of him had missed seeing his friend's face, but the feeling was overpowered by the sick feeling in the pit of his weak stomach. Their eyes locked, and Holly's step faltered. Artemis looked like a wild animal. His teeth gnawed away at his bottom lip. His white hospital clothes made his already pale skin seem paler. He twitched every few seconds as if he expected something bad to happen.

"_Arty,"_ she mouthed helplessly, wanting to reach out and hold him.

His eyes flashed with alarm, and he rapidly averted them, neutralising his expression. Dr. Argon went to the seat by his bed, settling into it. Holly drifted to the corner of the room.

"Artemis, how are you feeling?" the doctor asked gently.

"I am feeling fine… doctor," Artemis replied sternly through gritted teeth, blinking rapidly. Holly sighed faintly, regret in her eyes.

"You're speaking in fives again, Artemis," Dr. Argon observed, his tone lenient.

Artemis stayed silent, clenching the sheets tightly. _Four is death. _He felt their eyes on him. He glanced at Holly. "Please stand over there, Holly," he blurted, lifting a bony finger to point to the other side of the room.

Holly's expression hardened. "Control yourself," she said slowly, gauging his expression.

Artemis's eyes widened. He shook his head sharply. "I—Please, Holly, please… move," he begged, his chest heaving in effort to deal with his brisk breathing.

Dr. Argon turned to her and nodded reassuringly. "Just do it, Holly," he ordered. Artemis cringed, his whole body jerking unnaturally. Fours began to flutter at the corners of his vision, coalescing into larger fours, then dividing into small ones again.

Holly looked severely pained. Rushing to the other side of the room, she murmured, "Better?" Artemis squeezed his eyes shut, his lips trembling. He nodded curtly.

"Is this… too much?" Dr. Argon asked quietly, hesitant to distress the boy too much.

"Se-sedate me," stuttered Artemis stiffly, adrenaline rushing through his veins. Everything seemed like a game, a mindless pattern. The thought bugged him; Artemis despised being unable to answer his own inquisitions. He felt uncharacteristically upset, and he didn't even know why. Why did everything seem worthless? At that point, gold didn't provoke desire in him. He didn't want anyone or anything. No one was to be trusted.

Dr. Argon hesitated. "I don't know if that's a good idea. You may release—"

"_I need it_," the pale teenager snapped, his eyes snapping open. He shuddered violently, adding awkwardly, "right now." It was obvious that he was in agony. His mouth was pressed into a thin line. Another jerk wracked his body, and another, until he was gripping the mattress, his face as pale as a ghost, his eyes wide, and his mouth a wild snarl. Dr. Argon had meager time to mule over the decision. He silently complied, hurriedly pulling a small packet out of his white suit. Artemis couldn't restrain himself. His thought process was a mess. He didn't want the needle. "Don't!" he cried as Holly moved forward. The fours came back, _death _came back. Strange sounds that Holly had never imagined could leave the teenager's mouth filled the room, assaulting her ears.

"Artemis Fowl, listen!" Holly pleaded desperately, her pace slow and deliberate as she approached Artemis.

"Go away, go away, go away," he muttered over and over again, the words an endless mantra—not that it seemed to be helping him. Holly took one last step before Artemis screamed. Never had he showed such distaste in such a harsh manner. Drawing his knees to his chest, Artemis muttered the chant over and over again, his tear-streaked face hidden from their view.

Dr. Argon reached forward slowly. "Artemis, this will help. Just let me help you."

Artemis wanted to listen, but he couldn't. He forced his mouth shut. Silence hung in the air, throwing Artemis into panic mode again. "_H-h-hurry_," he forced out through gritted teeth.

Holly closed the distance between them, climbing onto the bed beside him. She held her friend down, placing her hands on his pale forearms. Artemis hid his face from her view—behind his knees, refusing to lose whatever dignity he might have had left. Injecting the needle into Artemis's arm, Dr. Argon stayed silent, letting Holly do the comforting.

A long, anguished moan escaped Artemis's throat.

"It's over now, Arty," said Holly. When Artemis stiffened, she added, "I promise." Holly stroked his forearms, ignoring his flinches. Behind his knees Artemis blinked furiously, extremely sensitive to Holly and Dr. Argon. Sometime in the long silence, Dr. Argon left, but Artemis was too tired to completely register the fact that he was completely alone with Holly. Every time she breathed, or stroked his arms or hair, a small shiver ran through him, but he didn't feel overly uncomfortable. Slipping into his dreamless sleep seemed too good to be true for Artemis, and he welcomed it with open arms.

Holly smiled gently as Artemis's shoulders slumped. He was asleep… or so she thought. A few seconds later, the boy's body abruptly stiffened, and he lifted his head. His eyes widened when he saw her. Holly still couldn't help but shiver staring into her own eye. He gulped, glancing at her hands on his forearms before looking up again. Their eyes locked. This was not Artemis. His eyes were different. They shone with a different personality altogether. Holly blinked in surprise, worry flashing in her eyes.

And then a charming smile began to tug at his lips.

"Holly," he murmured in admiration.

Holly blinked in shock, breaking their contact. "W-who are you?"

His mouth was slightly open, his eyes trained on her lips. "I'm… your mysterious boyfriend," he murmured. Holly's eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a tight line.

_More admirers. Yay._

"Excuse me?" she demanded. For some reason, the teenager smirked, lifting his eyes. They were filled with heavy infatuation.

"What do you mean, bub?" he asked gently, his eyes exploring her face. He seemed to be in awe.

Holly blinked. _Bub?_

She recovered from her brief surprise, and growled, grabbing the fabric of his hospital shirt—and by complete accident—pulled their faces closer together. The boy gulped, smirking again. Holly had to try really hard to ignore the details she had never noticed on Artemis's face before. Artemis would never move this close to her, not without looking away awkwardly. "I like feisty girls. I _love_ feisty Holly Short." The words flowed smoothly from his mouth, and Holly was sure that they could charm any other girl. But she knew better. She had been stuck with Orion long enough, even though he saved Holly and No.1 less than a a fortnight ago.

"Listen, kid, I'm not your _bub_, and I'll never be your girlfriend. I'm a lot older than you," Holly said firmly, steel in her voice.

"Oh, I know how old you are, baby," he breathed. Holly nearly punched him, and was definitely not ready for his next words. "Don't worry, I don't mind. You can be my cradle-snatcher. It'll be our secret." He put his finger to his lips, winking seductively. It _was_ seductive, Holly couldn't deny it. She wanted to. There was something strangely attractive about him, in his hospital gown, with his crazy hair, flirting and carrying on like a fifteen year-old boy.

_He is a fifteen year-old boy. _Artemis's demeanor made Holly forget that fact frequently.

"Don't you dare call me _'baby'_," Holly said angrily, her voice dangerously low. "You better pray that whatever gods exist will help you if you repeat that last sentence ever again. Now, who are you?"

The teenager blinked in confusion. He seemed genuinely stumped by her coldness. "... A-alistair...?" It came out like a question.

"Well, _Alistair_, control your hormones please," Holly muttered, leaning as far away as she could to eliminate any ideas the boy had in his head.

Alistair chuckled. "Shh, I know you want me." He winked at her. "I'll keep us a secret bab—Holly." Holly's expression would have terrified even Butler, but Alistair continued speaking as if nothing had happened. "You're so sexy when you're mad, you know that?"

"You're almost as bad Orion—actually, you're worse," Holly muttered, trying to glare at him.

Alistair guffawed, running the hand that wasn't attached to the drip beside his bed through his hair. "Well, at least I don't '_fair maiden' _you."

"I prefer that over _'baby'_," Holly said.

Alistair stretched his legs out, moaning. He squeezed his eyes shut, and for a moment looked in terrible pain.

Holly paused. "You okay?" she asked, trying not to sound too worried.

There was a silence. Alistair must have felt the need to drag out the moment. He slowly opened his eyes, turning his head slowly towards her. The smirk on his face was unbearable. Holly rolled her eyes. "_You're worried about me_." The words were so smug that Holly wanted to take it back. "It's okay Holls, I'm fine, just a slight headache and some leg pain."

Holly couldn't help herself. She wanted to know if there was something further wrong with Artemis that he hadn't told anyone about yet.. "... Slight headache? You looked like you were about to die or something."

Alistair chuckled gently. "Don't worry," he replied lightly, "I've got you, I don't need anyone else."

Holly face-palmed, sighing deeply. "Do me a favour."

"Anything, bubs—"

"No more nicknames or terms of affection. That's a rule."

Alistair looked so heartbroken that Holly _almost_ felt bad. He looked down, sighing quietly. "… Okay… Holly." Holly squeezed her mouth shut.

_Don't apologise, you'll regret it._

"Sleep. You must be tired," she said weakly. Alistair rubbed his left cheek with the back of his pale hand, nodding slowly. "Alistair," Holly said softly. "It's nothing personal, okay?"

Alistair settled back into the bed, leaning into the soft cushions.

"I love you too, baby."

_I'm an idiot._

"Oh, Artemis, you're back!" Orion's excited voice boomed into Artemis's ear. He groaned quietly, lifting his hands over his closed eyes. His paranoia was gone. He was extremely tired—which Orion did not seem to be aware of—and his headache was still present, albeit calmer than before.

"Will you be quiet?" he snapped. No urge to speak in fives dawned on Artemis. He felt somewhat normal again.

"Are you okay?" a new voice asked. It sounded like Artemis, but—just like Orion's voice—had a different element to it. It was lighter, almost playful, whereas Orion's was confident, melodramatic.

It was Mane.

Artemis opened his eyes, almost sighing when he saw the two identical boys in his face. Mane and Orion were grinning like idiots.

"I think they're high," Alistair commented smugly from his spot, his shiny loafers rested on the table top. An annoying smirk tugged at his lips.

Orion turned to glare at him. "I think you're rather hormonal," he retorted sharply.

Alistair actually growled, his eyes narrowing with a hint of playfulness. "Holly's in love with me, _head over heels._"

Orion snorted scornfully. "Well, too late, she fell in love with me first."

"How are you feeling, Artemis?" Oisin asked kindly from behind Mane, shooting Orion and Alistair reprimanding looks. Alistair ignored him, and stuck his tongue out, flipping Orion the bird.

Orion gasped, his eyes widening. "Take that back, you!"

"Stop," Artemis interrupted angrily.

Orion turned back to Artemis, disbelief in his eyes. "But—he's being rude!"

"Alistair _is _rude," Artemis replied, shooting the smug teenager a glare. Alistair rolled his eyes, running his hand through his luscious hair.

"I have no time for this. Be quiet," Artemis demanded. Everyone complied silently. Artemis slowly sat up, casting glances around their mind office. It was a large, virtual room. In the centre was a rectangular wooden table with eight seats. Along the furthest wall from him were eight doors, neatly lined across the white wall. He subconsciously knew who owned each bedroom. Oisin had told him of the three alters he hadn't met yet: Isidore, Addison and Quaid.

"_What's to be scared of? Are we scary_?" _The words came out_ _smugly from the alter's mouth._ _Artemis sat by him, staring at all the alters in complete shock. He remembered standing in the arctic and being shot by someone, and then being sucked into his mind, where he had been greeted by four identical teenagers, who had briefly explained who they were. _

_Another alter, sitting on the other side of the table frowned, laying his elbows on the table top. "They aren't all scared. Haven't you noticed? We all have different traits."_

"_I guess we'll have to see when they come out," the third one murmured. He sighed quietly, watching the screen. 'Orion' was sweet talking Holly—to Artemis's extreme annoyance. _

"What happened?" Artemis asked, standing slowly, holding his hands out to steady himself. Orion and Mane tried to help, but Artemis ordered them away with a flick of his hand. He straightened his tie.

Orion frowned, deciding to answer. "You were out for a while—enough time for _Alistair_ to get out and make a fool of himself."

"She's so into me," Alistair bragged, leaning back into his seat. _Pretty girl. My pretty girl._

* * *

**How was it? Thanks for reading!**


	2. Surprise

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! :)**

**Chapter Two: Surprise**

Butler sat in the J. Argon clinic, outside Artemis's room. Holly sat beside him, along with No.1, Mulch, and Foaly—who was standing. They had all been hanging around for the last week or so. Artemis had fallen asleep when he had arrived at the clinic, and hadn't woken since the day before, when Holly had met Alistair. They were extremely relieved when they had discovered he had woken, but were shocked when Holly had explained meeting a new alter, Alistair, who she described as a _'legitimate hormonal teenager'_, which had earned a few gapes. No one really knew what to think of it all. A dark mood hung in the air, and not even Mulch was cracking jokes or arguing with Foaly.

Butler seemed tired. He hadn't slept properly for a while—not that he had told anyone, but it was obvious. Bags rested under his eyes, and he visited Artemis constantly, refusing to leave sometimes.

"You should go back home. It isn't good for you here," No.1 said gently. Mulch nodded from beside him.

Butler shook his head firmly, staring at his hands. "I'm not going anywhere," he said in his gentle, deep voice.

"But look at you," Foaly argued, gesturing to Butler. "You're a mess. How are you going to keep this up?"

Butler stayed silent for a moment. He frowned, his eyes anxious. "… I can't just… leave him," he said, restraining the emotion from showing in his voice. "Don't you understand?"

"We do, Butler, but you need to rest," Holly replied as softly as she could, resting a small hand on his shoulder.

"Holly will take care of him," Mulch added hesitantly. "I know how grumpy I get without a proper night's sleep. You're too tall for this place."

"I've dealt with a lot worse. I'll be fine." Butler's voice was final. No one was going to argue.

Butler and Holly stayed with Artemis, talking in hushed voices. Butler stood by her in front of Artemis. Holly realised—as Butler told her his worries for Artemis—how much the bodyguard missed his young charge.

"You love him a lot, don't you?" Holly asked quietly, breaking the silence. She stared at Artemis's pale face as she spoke, wanting to talk to him, wanting to mindlessly banter with him about nothing.

"… Of course I do. He has a heart… He has emotions." Butler covered his face with his massive hands, his shoulders slumped.

Holly paused, shocked. "He's going to be fine." She wrapped her arms around him sideways.

Butler took a deep breath. "He's shown you more affection than anyone else has ever seen."

Holly gazed at the teenager's chest as it rose and fell. "But you," she finished.

"… I don't think so," Butler said—not unhappily—but _almost _humorously.

Holly's cheeks coloured as she relived Artemis's cool lips against hers again. "That was me," she said embarrassedly. "And how do you know about that?"

Butler moved his hands from his face to give her a look. "I know a lot about you two. I know a lot about Artemis."

Holly crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrows rising. "Ah… but not about me."

Butler rolled his eyes, despite himself. "Actually, I do."

"What's my favourite colour then?" Holly asked playfully.

"Green," Butler replied so quickly that Holly was about to tell him he was wrong.

The elf blinked. "How?" she demanded.

"Artemis—he said not to tell you—I mean—"

"What? When?" Holly demanded, her heart leaping in her chest. _Artemis knew… He noticed. _She wanted to hug him now.

Butler blinked. "Holly… Ask him yourself. I did promise I wouldn't tell."

Holly smiled at Butler, and then at Artemis. "I'll make him tell me."

Butler chuckled. "Don't be hard on him. He cares deeply for you; he just doesn't feel comfortable sharing his feelings, you know?"

Holly looked up at Butler. "Asking him how he knows my favourite colour isn't forcing him to show much _affection_."

"For Artemis, it is."

. . .

In the past week, Artemis had learnt lots about four of his alters. He remembered the day clearly when he first got to know them—when his body had been unoccupied.

_Artemis moaned, lying on the floor. He knew where he was. He had been stuck here before when 'Orion' had decided to make his first appearance. Artemis then had seen a bunch of other random identical teenagers who had briefly told him they were his alters. He was in his mind-office—or 'their mind-office', as one of the alters had stressed. Truth be told, Artemis was terrified. He knew little about MPD—multiple personality disorder__—_but he guessed it took years to cure, if not ever.

_"Hey, Artemis," a light, playful voice said from above him. "How are you?" Artemis forced his weary eyes open, regarding the alter with confusion. He glimpsed the other three alters approaching from behind the one who had spoken._

_"Do you have names?" Artemis demanded, completely ignoring the question._

_"Yes, of course we do," one of them answered, rolling his eyes, his voice humorous. "The crazy one you just ignored is Mane. I'm Alistair. The idiot beside me—" Alistair pointed to his right, where an alter stood pouting "—is Orion." He then indicated to his left. "That's Oisin, probably the nicest dude you'll ever meet."_

_The one called Oisin paused, smiling in embarrassment. "Hello." His voice was clear and kind. Artemis found it weird looking into his own eyes—albeit kind and welcoming. _

_Artemis blinked. "What are you doing here? Why am I here?"_

_Oisin looked sympathetic. "Well, you have Atlantis Complex and OCD—and now MPD as you have probably realised."_

_Artemis lifted his head higher. "I noticed," he snapped. "I wasn't questioning you." His comment didn't seem to faze Oisin in the least._

_"Why are you always so grumpy?" Alistair asked protectively, his eyes narrowed in annoyance._

_"You don't know that." Artemis stood carefully, pushing his rich hair from his eyes._

_"Actually, I do," Alistair retorted smugly._

_"We share memories," Oisin explained, placing a hand on Alistair's shoulder, giving him a chastising look._

_"W-what?" Artemis sputtered, his calm façade faltering._

_"I must say, Artemis, your closeness with Holly confuses me," Orion said. "I'm much better suited for her." Mane just blinked, looking a little awkward._

_Artemis looked around, ignoring Orion's comment, despite the comeback boiling in his throat. He wandered across the silent room. The walls were white, but the room was still gloomy. There really wasn't much to see, expect for the table and mind-screen. The mind-screen was black at the moment—a large theatre-sized rectangle._

_"So… all of you can see through this?" Artemis questioned, pointing at the screen. They nodded silently, their identical faces showing different emotions._

_"Yeah, that's the point of it," Alistair grumbled, his head hung. _

_Oisin sighed, smiling apologetically._

_Artemis just glared in frustration. "Thanks a lot," he replied sarcastically._

_The bantering was annoying Mane, and made him feel out of place. He chuckled nervously. "So… what now?" he asked, his smile growing. "Wait! I got an idea!"_

_Oisin closed his eyes, grinning. _

_Mane turned to Orion. "I challenge you to a game of chess! What do you say?"_

_Orion's eyes lit up. "I'll win! You have no skills whatsoever, hatchling."_

_"You guys suck. Chess is my_ _thing," Alistair interrupted, rushing to the table. Artemis watched in fascination as a chessboard suddenly appeared on the table out of thin air. He caught a glimpse of amusement flash across Oisin's face._

_"You can wish for anything you want in here," Oisin explained patiently as he came to stand by Artemis. "We don't need food or water, but we do need sleep. It can get extremely boring."_

_Artemis looked at Oisin in bewilderment. "I'm either stuck in here or out there?" Artemis pointed at the mind-screen, dread in his stomach._

_Oisin nodded slowly, his mismatched eyes gentle. "… Yes… Don't worry, Artemis, it'll be okay." Artemis didn't shrug Oisin's hand off when he laid it on his shoulder. Oisin practically radiated sympathy, and it was hard refuse his comforting words—even for Artemis._

_"You can sleep if you want. Do you know which one your room is?"_

_Artemis stared detachedly at the Mane, Orion and Alistair. He felt sick. He wanted Holly. Never had he wanted her so much. He nodded belatedly. "For some reason, yes."_

_"Artemis?"_

_Artemis blinked, glancing at Oisin. "What?"_

_"… Don't be too hard on yourself. You have Butler and Holly, and I'm sure Foaly, No.1 and Mulch are hanging around too."_

_Artemis's eyes widened. "Do you know them as well?"_

_Oisin nodded. "Of course. We're part of you." Artemis felt his heart leap. An eerie feeling that Oisin knew him better than he thought tugged at his mind. Perhaps all the alters did. He walked away hastily._

_His room was the first door along the wall. Artemis hesitated before letting himself inside. It was full of nearly everything he had in his real room, back in Fowl Manor. A sense of relief filled him for a moment, when he glimpsed a bookshelf of all his favourite books. He walked around the large room, wondering how it appeared so small from the outside. He dismissed the thought, settling for the fact that he had probably lost the plot, and mulling over it wouldn't do well for his mood. _

_Artemis slowly sank onto his bed. It was just like his one at home, and it felt the same too. He rubbed his face roughly, trying to get his family of his mind. Eventually, he fell asleep, though he couldn't remember how. _

. . .

When morning came, Oisin peeked into Artemis's room to find him curled up on his bed, fast asleep.

_Someone has to tell them what's going on, _he thought, feeling sorry for Artemis.

Holly and Butler had made a compromise: Holly would mind Artemis when she wasn't working, and Butler would mind him the rest of the time. Work started at noon for Holly, so she had insisted she mind Artemis in the morning.

Rubbing her eyes, Holly sighed, yawning. She sat in the seat by the teenager's bed, daydreaming of flying above ground, with the natural light of the sun, and the chilly breeze against her face. She had been staring at Artemis for so long, that she didnt want to look anymore; it only made her feel things she didn't think she should.

"Excuse me?" a gentle voice asked. Holly's head shot up in surprise to find the teenager smiling softly at her. His eyes were sympathetic, a hint of nervousness in them.

Holly blinked in confusion and slight disappointment, trying to smile back. "H-hi there," she said half-heartedly.

_Another alter? How many are there?_

"Hi, Holly… I'm Oisin," the boy replied slowly, glancing down at his hands in his lap, before regarding her again. "You must be worried about Artemis."

Holly nodded, leaning forward in her seat. "Is he okay?" she asked desperately.

Oisin nodded. "He's well… Don't worry, he's acting pretty normal," he replied. He paused. "We're pretty annoying," he said, his infectious smile reassuring.

Holly paused. "I think I know what you mean," she replied shyly. "'Cause he was probably lecturing you guys..."

Oisin grinned, chuckling lightly. It wasn't obvious that he was trying to make her feel better, but he was, and it was working. "Don't worry, I'll explain. I'm sure Alistair didn't."

Holly nodded, her smile faltering. "Please do."

Oisin's smile softened, his eyes becoming sympathetic. "There's seven alters, not including Artemis—because he's not really an alter." He grimaced as Holly's expression fell further. She looked ill. Reaching for her hand, Oisin murmured, "It's alright, Holly."

Holly glanced shyly up at him, her heart leaping at his attractiveness. His mismatched eyes were so different, his hazel eye held dark emotions, much unlike Holly. Beneath endless pools of blue and hazel lay emotions Holly had never seen in those eyes. How soft his hand was as held hers. How gentle he was when he spoke to her. But still, she yearned to talk to Artemis, to see him act like his normal self. He was infuriating at times, but Holly loved him sincerely, and she never admitted it, but she enjoyed his lectures.

Oisin gazed into her eyes gently as he spoke. "We're all like… little fragments of Artemis. We're not different people—I mean, we are, but…" Oisin sighed in embarrassment, shaking his head. "We're exaggerated parts of his traits. I guess… you would be surprised to discover Artemis has a crazy side."

Holly blinked, feeling her lips twitch into a smile with Oisin's. "I know, right?" Oisin chuckled. Holly smiled slightly. She liked the way he was acting so light with her, and not being so intense like the others she had met. " So, the crazy one is Mane," Oisin continued. "He's really nice, he's just crazy. He makes everyone feel better."

"... Really?" Holly was surprised. _Crazy? What?_

Oisin's grin took the pressure of Holly's shoulders for the moment. "Yeah," he confirmed.

Mane smiled softly in their head, staring at the screen dreamily. Alistair and Orion rolled their eyes.

"Then, there's Orion." Oisin scratched his head with his free hand, glancing up at the ceiling.

Holly couldn't help but smile. "Oisin." She said his name with an annoyed tone.

Oisin laughed. "I don't know how to describe him. He's really funny to listen to, but as you know, he's unhealthily obsessed with you."

Holly looked down, raising her eyebrows despite the situation. "You have no idea," she complained half-heartedly.

Orion glared at the mind-screen. "_Unhealthily_ is not the right word," he muttered bitterly.

Alistair chuckled. "Sucks to be you."

Oisin shrugged, reminding Holly of their linked hands. She looked down at his pale hand in her brown one, and flushed slightly, unsure why. "I like him. I mean, I like the way he means well."

Holly argued causally, "You wouldn't say that if you were me."

Oisin smiled, somewhat apologetic. "There's Alistair."

Holly moaned, lifting her head. "Don't even… talk about him."

In their head, Alistair just gaped. Orion and Mane laughed.

"Sucks to be you," Orion mimicked in a girl's voice, smirking.

"Holls didn't mean it!" Alistair snapped.

Orion crossed his arms over his chest. "It's _Holly _to you. I call her the names of affection. She never said I couldn't."

Oisin shrugged. "He means well, Holly. So does Orion. They can't really help it."

Holly sighed. "Fine… It's pretty darn annoying though, especially when you've had a bad day."

Oisin tilted his head to one side, his eyes curious. "Really? Doesn't it kind of, I don't know… make you feel better?" He shrugged at Holly's expression. "… I mean, because you know that you have people who… love you?"

Holly grimaced at Oisin. "Hardly," she commented sourly.

Oisin smiled. "They do love you," he argued. "I know sometimes they're a little... _boyish,_ but they do."

Holly chuckled. _Boyish. Ha._

Anyway, there's Quaid, Isidore and Addison… I don't really know what their traits are yet. I only sub-consciously know their names."

Holly frowned in confusion. "You haven't… met them yet?" she queried hesitantly.

Oisin sighed. "No," he muttered sadly. "There's like this massive mind-office thingy in our head."

"... Oh."

Oisin nodded, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, there's so much to tell you, I don't know where to start."

Holly shrugged. "No, it's fine, Oisin," she said. "I mean, it's no that simple, obviously."

Oisin patted her hand in a friendly manner, then released it.

Holly blushed again, suppressing a groan. _Oh god, Holly, stop it. You're acting like a child._

"We all have our own rooms. They haven't come out yet, but I guess we haven't really existed consciously long enough for them to do so if they're shy." Holly stayed silent, listening in interest. Oisin stared at his pale hands as he thought. "We all share Artemis's memory—that's how I know you... How's everyone going?" There was sadness in his eyes. "How's… mum and dad… and Beckett and Myles?"

Holly had never heard '_mum and dad' _from his mouth before. She knew Oisin wasn't really Artemis, but it still touched her. She smiled apologetically. "They miss Arty a lot," she said, biting her bottom lip to restrain her emotions.

Oisin nodded. "Yeah…" he murmured, watching Holly with an expression she didn't understand.

Holly sighed, shaking her head. "You must be hungry, Oisin," she said quickly, knowing she would start balling her eyes out if they talked more about that topic.

Oisin smiled gently. "A little. I can wait, though."

Holly shook her head. "Don't be silly. I'll be right back," she said, standing. Before she opened the door, she asked, "What would you like?"

Oisin grinned. "Anything, Holly..." He then held his hands in the air, looking a lot like Orion, then said, "_my sweet maiden." _

Holly couldn't believe that she found amusement in that. Perhaps she just liked Oisin a lot.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!**


	3. Wariness

**A/N: I hope you enjoy! **

**Chapter Three: Wariness**

Artemis woke abruptly. His head was spinning, and he was aware of the fact that—whether it was good or bad—he was in his mind-office. The previous day's events flooded back to him. He hated his situation. He supposed someone had surfaced during his sleep. He only hoped it was someone with an ounce of sanity. Artemis's _room _was very similar to the one back home at the Manor. Now that he could properly register his surroundings, he noticed the desk that stood at one corner of the room. A CD player rested upon it, a mound of CDs beside it. Artemis didn't know how, but the room was light, as if sun rays shone through an invisible window. The room was large. White walls adorned with paintings. It was silent. Artemis approached the door, straining to hear something. Hushed voices filled his ears. Immediately suspicious, Artemis put his ear directly before the keyhole.

"He was crying for sure, Oisin." The voice sounded like Mane's.

There was a sigh. Orion's voice entered Artemis's ears. "Maybe someone should talk to him."

Pushing his door open, Artemis demanded, "Who was crying?" The three alters looked up at him in surprise. Artemis mentally relaxed when he saw Alistair, Orion and Mane sitting at the table, their expressions oddly glum.

_At least none of them are out there, making a fool out of me,_ Artemis thought.

Alistair rolled his eyes. "Well, good morning to you too, _Arty_," he muttered sarcastically.

Artemis blinked. "I suggest you shut your mouth, unless you don't mind never seeing Holly again." he said calmly.

A chuckle escaped Alistair's throat. "Yeah man, whatever." He ran his hands through his raven hair.

"Anyhow," Orion interrupted in his strange, melodramatic voice, "we were talking about Isidore."

The name rang a bell in Artemis's head. He frowned faintly. "Am I supposed to know who that—" Suddenly, Artemis's eyes fell upon the mind-screen, where he saw Butler smiling uncertainly at him. He immediately confirmed that Oisin was out—he didn't know how he knew. Butler wasn't looking at _him, _he was looking at Oisin. Artemis felt an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. He tried to ignore it, but it grew stronger. Artemis shifted uneasily.

"If you want to hear them," Mane said, "open your ears."

_Open my ears? _Artemis's eyes fell to the ground. He willed himself to listen, closing his eyes. Abruptly, he could hear Oisin's gentle voice in his ears. It was as if he was directly in front of the kind alter.

"I'm sorry, Butler… we didn't ask for this. We just woke up to find that we existed. It was hard for us at first. We didn't really know where we were, or why we knew who we were," Oisin said to the bodyguard. Technically, _his_ bodyguard.

There was a short silence, then Butler replied, "Don't be sorry… You didn't do anything wrong."

Artemis desperately wanted to talk to Butler. He didn't know what he would say, but he just needed to connect with something familiar. He didn't know what his face was showing, but it definitely wasn't pleasant.

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder, breaking his concentration. The voice vanished. Artemis's eyes shot to his left. Mane stood there, smiling ruefully.

"How do I know who you are?" Artemis asked, relieved his tone remained neutral.

Mane shrugged softly. "I don't know. It's a physiological thing."

"Then why don't we know their—" Artemis gestured to the last three rooms along the wall "—traits?"

"Who knows?" Mane answered, patting Artemis's shoulder before his hand retracted to his side. Artemis stayed silent, watching the mind-screen with his neutral mask. He didn't know what to feel about the alters, talking to him like they were friends. He didn't listen to Butler and Oisin. He didn't want to. Every time Butler smiled, Artemis felt the same feeling in his stomach.

Eventually Butler left, due to Oisin ordering him to rest. A few minutes later, Dr. Argon turned up, equipped with a bag and clipboard. The gnome's expression sobered when he saw a teenager that definitely wasn't Artemis. A soft smile graced the teenager's lips as he gently bowed his head.

"Dr. Argon," he greeted, "I'm Oisin."

Dr. Argon nodded, pleasantly surprised at Oisin's respect. "Hello, Oisin… This is your first time out?" he asked hesitantly, settling into the seat beside his bed.

"Yes," Oisin answered calmly. Dr. Argon nodded again, scribbling down a note on his clipboard. "I suppose you're a specialist on these types of disorders?"

The gnome looked up. "Yes, yes," he answered, his expression thoughtful. "… Why do you ask?"

Oisin shrugged. "Just in case you didn't understand how I know who you are."

"You share Artemis's memory, right?"

"Y-yes," Oisin replied, wincing. Dr. Argon frowned slightly.

"What is it?" he asked.

Oisin stirred, wiping his brow. "Is it really hot in here?" he questioned weakly, his face flustered.

"Does your head hurt?" Dr. Argon asked in concern. Oisin moaned in reply, his head lulling to one side. It happened so fast. Reaching for the nightstand, the doctor hurriedly grabbed the remote for the recliner hospital bed, lowering it so that Oisin was on his back.

Oisin stared blankly at the moving ceiling until he became too dizzy to keep his eyes open. A burst of pain erupted in his head. It was as if someone had stabbed a knife through his brain, pulverising the section into mush. But he couldn't speak. His voice wouldn't work. His heart pounded with his head. Every time Oisin expected the agony to pass, it came back stronger. Time blurred into a clump of events. Something cool was laid on head at some point, easing the pain minimally. He felt something sharp—a needle perhaps—prick his left arm.

Something along the lines of "Stay still" entered Oisin's ears.

"What's happening?" Artemis yelled inside their head, for once losing his cool. The mind-screen had gone completely black in a span of a few minutes.

Orion and Alistair shot up from their seats, glancing around the now silent room. Oisin came stumbling out of the mind-screen, mumbling nonsense, before collapsing to the floor. Everyone but Artemis ran over to Oisin to tend to him. Artemis watched the screen in pure dread.

Addison laughed crazily, his eyes shining with greed, as he felt his limbs come to life. He grinned at the gaping gnome before him. His mismatched eyes glinted in hate. "Good afternoon, doctor," he greeted. "Surprised your sedation attempt did not work? I as well am surprised, to be pleasantly frank." He glanced at his left arm, ripping the hospital drip from it with a slight grunt. "Ouch," he said sarcastically as blood trickled down his hand.

He jumped out of his bed, striding confidently to the door. Dr. Argon attempted to say something, but the teenager held his hand up. "Don't you dare," he threatened darkly, before throwing the door open. He ran out before Dr. Argon could even react, laughing and beaming like a mental patient… which was probably what he was.

"Finally! Free from those idiots!" he yelled shamelessly, throwing his hands in the air as he ran down the empty hall. And suddenly, brightening his time further, he saw the girl he was looking for turn the corner: Holly.

When Holly saw the teenager, her step faltered. Ahead of her was the boy, skinny and pale. "Oisin? What are you doing?" she questioned in surprise. His expression confused her. He looked furious, his eyes blazing. Suddenly, his smile became softer, but his eyes remained intense as ever.

_This can't be Oisin, _Holly realised. She didn't know what to do. He walked slowly forward, his bare feet making no sound on the cold tiles. Holly frowned, taking a step forward. "Who are you?" she asked quietly, his threatening smile sending chills down her spine. Her mind rejected the thought of him hurting her.

_None of his alters would do that, would they? Could part of Artemis actually hurt me?_

The boy got to his knees until he was her height, and placed his hands on her shoulders. Holly coudn't repress the shiver that ran down her spin as her breath hitched. His hands felt nothing like they had before, when Oisin had held her hand. Now, his hands were cold and shook slightly. Holly couldn't figure out how the sudden change was possible.

_Is Oisin okay?_

Suddenly, the thought was forgotten as the teenager leaned into her, and pressed his lips to her ear lobe. Holly froze as she felt his cool lips quivering against her skin. "I'm Addison," he murmured eerily. Holly squeezed out of his grip hastily, her eyes darkening as she stepped away.

"Don't touch me that way," she growled, her eyes wide. She was frightened, but she refused to show it.

Addison frowned, his eyes darkening. "Don't be afraid, sweetheart," he said in his menacing tone. "I love you." Holly wanted to erase the words from her memory. The way he had said them were nothing like she had imagined. Nothing like the way Orion or Alistair said them. At least they said them with gentleness, rather than the threatening tone the teenager used.

Addison reached forward to grasp Holly's hand, but she took another back. His voice became forceful. "Holly, what is wrong with you?" he demanded, standing.

Holly shook her head, feeling her panic getting the better of her. _He'll hurt me if I let him, _she thought. "Please... Addison, stop," she said, her voice shaking.

"Why?" Addison asked, backing her further against the wall.

"Please!" Holly begged quietly, her hands clenched at her sides.

Addison stopped, his expression faltering. He abruptly seemed sad. "You're scared of me," he whispered, his voice growing louder, his jaw clenching. "You hate me too!" He suddenly leapt at her, pinning her against the wall. Holly gasped as his face came inches away from hers. His eyes shone with hate, the waves of fire almost glowing. He stared intensely right down into her soul, but his hands cupped her cheeks gently. "It's always my fault, it's always me that has the problem," he muttered.

Holly didn't know how to react. Under all the layers of anger, something else shone in his eyes. "W-what do you mean?" she asked quietly. Addison's eyes flashed with some emotion. He abruptly let go of her. "You don't care anyway!" he snapped, letting his hair fall over his eyes. He stood up and started walking away.

"Wait," Holly called as Dr. Argon ran up to her. She glanced at him. "Stay here! You've caused enough trouble," she ordered irritably, before running after the teenager. She didn't know what she was doing, chasing after a potentially harming, crazed teenage boy.

Addison turned. "Stay away from me," he said in a low, threatening voice.

Holly blinked, pausing. She ignored her heart, hammering against her chest furiously. "I don't… hate you. Can you blame me for being frightened?" Her tone was sharp.

Addison's eyes narrowed. "I'm not going back," he said with finality.

"Why not?"

Addison laughed in disbelief. "Do you think I'm stupid? I know you want to get rid of me!"

Butler peeked around the wall. He had heard enough to realise that this _Addison _was no nice guy. Butler crept up behind him. When Holly briefly made eye contact with him, he put his finger to his lips. He glimpsed Dr. Argon standing at the opposite end of the hall.

"I hate y—"Addison shrieked in protest as two strong arms encompassed him. "Get off!" he cried, thrashing against Butler. Tears suddenly filled his eyes, and he started shivering. Butler tightened his grip. "You bastard!" Addison screamed angrily, his breaths ragged. "Get off me!"

Holly approached him slowly. "We won't hurt you," she said gently, despite her fear. Something in her reached for him.

Addison wasn't listening. He was breathing way too quickly. Butler was surprised he had elicited such a reaction out of the teenager. The alter obviously didn't fancy being grabbed from behind. When he had no energy left to struggle against Butler, Addison closed his eyes, sagging against him. "Leave me alone," he sobbed, tears streaming down his pale face. "Leave me in the dark."

Holly shared a look with Butler. "We're just taking you back to your room," Holly reassured.

"No!" Addison lifted his head, his eyes wide. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.

Butler guiltily placed Addison over his shoulder, trying to ignore his cries. Half an hour later, after managing to tie Addison to the bed and calm him down, Holly ordered everyone out of the room. She sat in her seat, and watched Addison with unsure eyes. She couldn't bring herself to be mad at him. He still scared her slightly. Holly couldn't stop musing over what he had been muttering.

"_Leave me alone. Leave me in the dark."_

Addison stared at the ceiling, his puffy red eyes narrowed. He shifted under her stare. "You'll pay," he threatened.

Holly knew she was safe. Butler was literally outside, probably listening. "Were you going to hurt me?"

Addison's expression twisted into half a dozen emotions before settling into anger. "No," he snapped sharply, averting his eyes.

"You scared me… with that tone," Holly said uncomfortably.

Addison blinked uncomfortably. Holly didn't know why she was talking to him, but she couldn't help but feel some connection to the alter. The way he had looked at her for that brief second had made her wonder if this was causing problems in Artemis's head.

"Stop interrogating me."

"You interrogated me, pushing me against a wall," Holly replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "That's not how you treat people, whether you like them or not." Holly continued. "What were you going to do to me?"

There was a silence. "Don't talk to me." The words came out harshly from Addison's mouth. His expression confused Holly. He looked furious, but something else was there.

Holly stood, looking at Addison. She said quietly, "I don't think I want to." She turned and walked away hastily. She didn't know what she felt. And it made her nervous.

Butler met her at the door. He looked as shaken as Holly. He searched her for some answer. "He's very... strange..."

"Maybe he has bi-poplar," Holly suggested, rubbing her face roughly. She opened her eyes as soon as she closed them, because when she closed them she saw Addison's intense eyes, staring into hers, searching for something.

She started walking away, but Butler grabbed her arm gently. She turned to him.

"If you want to talk later, after work, I'm here. Just give me a call. I'll probably be at the Ops booth."

Holly smiled slightly. She was glad she had Butler, the one major part of Artemis's life who was still the same. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell anyone about her confusion yet, so she just replied, "Thanks."

* * *

**Thanks for being endlessly awesome!**


	4. Lower Sinks Artemis Fowl

**A/N: Thanks everyone for R&R! Just so you know, I slightly updated chapter two because I didn't really like it so... enjoy! (I made Oisin more serious because I think the situation calls for it.)**

**Oh, btw, I always forget to tell you. Oisin is pronounced O-sheen... not that it matters (I pronounce names of characters weirdly sometimes and then I don't want to change them because they sound right.) AnYwAy...**

**P.S: You will meet a new character soon *winks***

**Chapter Four: Lower Sinks Artemis Fowl**

Addison paused before he left the mind-screen. He took a deep breath. He briefly wondered if he should hide in the void until he could escape again, but decided against it. He didn't know if he wanted to face Holly or Butler again.

_Holly... _

_If only she knew how to really live. _He involuntarily shuddered at the thought of her. Her words had hurt him, but he pushed away the feeling, remembering his doubt. She was so beautiful, and he was mad that he felt anything more for her than hate. He didn't even want to call it affection. _It's all a trick, _he thought in frustration._ A trick I will not fall for._

He let his features twist into a menacing smirk before taking the last few steps out of the screen. He nearly walked straight into someone. Immediately, he recognised the teenager to be Artemis. Artemis blinked in surprise, his eyes darkening. Addison glared back at him, feeling uncomfortable under his stare. He glimpsed four other identical boys behind Artemis, staring at him in shock.

"It's nice to finally meet you, _Arty_," said Addison, his tone mocking.

"I swear, I'll kill you if you ever touch Holly again,_" _Artemis growled, swinging his hands wildly at Addison.

Without warning, Addison punched Artemis, right in the stomach. Artemis doubled over, moaning.

Oisin, who had woken up barely minutes earlier, yelled, "Stop!" He was too weak to get out of his seat to break them up.

Mane and Alistair grabbed Addison from behind, while Orion helped Artemis up.

"Don't do this. Fighting won't help," Oisin begged, leaning over in his seat like he was going to puke.

"Look at what you did to Oisin!" Alistair yelled into Addison's ear while he struggled to get away. "What the hell is wrong with you? How could even touch Holly like that?"

Mane's eyes were wide, like he was frightened someone was going to get hurt. "Alistair, please," he pleaded quietly.

"I wasn't going to hurt her!" Addison shrieked.

"Oh!" Artemis snapped. "That's why you pinned against a wall!"

"You don't understand!" Addison elbowed Alistair in the stomach roughly. Alistair didn't let go, grunting in pain.

Orion was barely holding Artemis back from leaping at Addison, when someone screamed.

Everyone froze, including Addison and Artemis. Now that the alters weren't yelling at each other, the relentless sobbing could be heard. It was the most heart-breaking sound.

"Isidore," Mane murmured worriedly.

"How do you know it's Isidore?" demanded Addison.

Artemis glared at him. "Perhaps if you bothered interacting with us, you would know."

"Dudes, just shut up," Alistair interrupted.

The crying became quieter, until nothing but a few muffled sobs could be heard every few seconds.

"We should talk to them," Oisin said quietly from his seat at the table.

"He'll be terrified," Orion said.

Addison shrugged out off Alistair and Mane, storming off to his room. No one bothered to stop him, even Artemis. He would just go out himself.

_Surely Addison can't take over like he did with Oisin... What did he actually do to Oisin?_ Artemis didn't know.

"You look really sick, Oisin," Mane commented softly. "Maybe you should rest before talking to him."

Oisin lifted his head. "Why can't you, Mane? You're great with people."

Mane shrugged, looking away. "I... I don't know... what to say."

Oisin sighed. "Okay, let Isidore cool down. I'll get some rest. But leaving him in that room is doing him no good. I'm sure Quaid is suffering just as much. We need to..." Oisin moaned, lowering his head into his hands again. He tried again. "We need to get them out. Fast."

Artemis couldn't stand another minute of being stuck in his head. He walked towards the mind-screen. "Don't let that moron come near the screen."

"No way in hell is he going near Holly again, man," Alistair confirmed.

Orion nodded enthusiastically. "She's safe, I'll make sure of it."

Mane didn't say anything. He had never personally met Holly. He had very strong feelings for her, but he wasn't sure what they meant. He went and sat by Oisin, who was too exhausted to attempt to reason with Artemis.

Oisin didn't lift his head, but murmured weakly, "Don't worry, Mane. You'll meet her. She'll love to have someone like you around."

Mane smiled half-hardheartedly, staring at his fidgeting hands. "I think you need to lie down," he said after a moment.

Oisin took a deep breath. "If Addison comes out–"

"I'll make sure they don't beat him up," Mane reassured, t_hey _being Orion and Alistair.

Oisin chuckled softly. "Okay."

. . .

Artemis walked through the blackness, knowing the fours would pop up soon. He closed his eyes. _Just keep walking, Artemis. _Not half a minute later, he could sense the fours, swirling around him, teasing him. _Four is death! Four is death! _his mind screamed at him. _Death, death, death! _Artemis gasped, falling to his knees. He met no resistance. He felt like he was floating. He could get no grip on the invisible ground. He panicked, curling up tightly into a ball where he was, his breathing ragged.

He felt two gentle arms encompass him a short time later, pulling him to his feet. It was Alistair, he could tell. Out of all the alters who could have helped him, Artemis had least expected it to be Alistair. The swirling fours dissipated completely, much to his surprise. Alistair placed his arm under Artemis's shoulder blades, offering support. "You okay, man?" he asked. His voice was slightly hesitant. Artemis couldn't see him in the darkness, but still felt awkward. He had no doubt Alistair was feeling the same.

Artemis blinked, stepping away from him. "… Yes, I'm fine." He hesitated, before asking, "Can you just… stay here for a while?"

Alistair's breath hitched. "Dude—what the hell—No!"

It took Artemis a span of a few seconds to understand. He immediately gasped, his face turning red. "W-what? No! I only asked because the fours go away when someone else is with me!"

There was a silence. "… Oh… Sorry, I just… Dude, IDK."

Artemis shook his head in disbelief. "IDK?"

He felt Alistair's eyes on him. "You have _got _to be kidding me," he muttered in dismay.

Artemis sighed. "Okay, just… do me a favour and stand still," he ordered. "I'm going out."

"With who?"

Artemis didn't even know how to react. Alistair actually sounded _serious. _"Alistair," Artemis said slowly, as if he was half deaf. "_I am going to surface."_

Alistair chuckled. "I know, man. I mean seriously, why would Holly go out with you?" He snorted.

Artemis's step faltered, and he was glad Alistair couldn't see him. The question bothered him immensely, and he felt his chest constrict. _What's wrong with me? _He pushed the feeling aside, and continued forward, Alistair's presence keeping the fours away.

. . .

Madelyn Koboi sat in a café in Dublin, thinking, her small hands warmed by the mug of coffee secured in them. The strong aroma of coffee beans and the gentle hum of people speaking filled the small café. Beside the pixie was her partner—or so he thought. At six foot, Frasier was a tall man—though not bulky. Frasier wasn't his real name, but a disguise. The pixie had completely changed his identity, and not even he knew that he wasn't who he thought he was.

Madelyn needed to remain inconspicuous, and unfortunately for Frasier, she was extremely attractive, with her hypnotising hazel eyes and long, wavy chocolate hair. She was oddly tall for a pixie. Frasier was deluded under the pixie's intoxicating spell. If he had been sober, he would have realised that he had left his family behind.

He was only around his twenties. Madelyn had told him of the world under the world. She told him of the elves, dwarves, sprites, trolls, centaurs, gnomes, pixies—of course—and whatever else existed underground. He had been with her for years, and not once had he questioned her. He loved her. He didn't realise that he was a tool to assist Madelyn; the unknown elder sister Opal Koboi.

Madelyn was far less hindered by arrogance—she hated her sister with passion for her annoying trait. In the shadows, she lurked with Frasier for years, watching her sister make mistake after mistake. She never helped—she had never cared… Or more precisely, had nearly never cared. There had been a time when she and Opal had been like two peas in a pod, and had protected each other with everything they had, but those days were far gone.

No, power and gold were always more important to Opal than Madelyn was. Cruel, Opal was, and Madelyn would not let Opal pull her down with her. Madelyn had her eye on Artemis Fowl II. She was going to… well kidnap him; teach her sister a lesson. The time was perfect. Madelyn didn't know where her sister was, and was sure she would find out what she was up to when it would be too late to stop her. To most of the people underground, she was simply a shy, kind pixie with no siblings. Chuckling, Madelyn sipped her coffee. Frasier looked at her, his emerald eyes soft. He smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"Dear, my plan is in the making," Madelyn said with feigned affection.

Frasier's smile faltered. "Why do you insist we catch this boy?" The jealousy in his tone was blatantly obvious.

Madelyn sighed, ignoring the urge to yell at him. "Sweetheart, I told you; to give Opal a taste of her own medicine. Artemis is an arrogant teenager who thinks he can undermine everyone. I feel nothing but searing hate for him."

Frasier looked doubtful, but he nodded anyway. "Okay, Maddy," he murmured. Madelyn tried not to cringe at the nickname—she was surprised she wasn't used to it by now.

. . .

Instead of feeling relived when he felt his body again, Artemis felt possibly worse than before. He felt sick and his muscles ached. He realised it must have been his body that was exhausted. It hadn't been unoccupied for a while, which meant different alters had been constantly using it. But the worst thing was the endless need to think and speak in fours, and the paranoia and OCD. Artemis being Artemis, he wasn't going to lie around and let his emotions get to him. His duty was to get better, and he would demand Dr. Argon's company so that he could do just that.

He forced his eyes open, unsure how to feel when he saw Butler sitting on the single couch to his right, snoring quietly. He was pleased, yet he was wary and felt nervous as well.

Butler's eyes drifted open for a second, and when they made contact with Artemis's, he sat up in his seat, smiling uncertainly. Artemis returned the gesture. "Artemis," Butler greeted gently.

"Butler, how are you… today?" Artemis asked, glancing at around the room anxiously, relieved when he found everything in its original place. When he looked to his bodyguard, he saw him wince. It was tiny, but he noticed.

"Fine, Artemis." The answer was short, but barely restrained from emotion.

Artemis hesitated, realising how much he missed his closeness to Butler, but how far apart they had drifted. He searched his mind for anything to say, staring at his fidgeting hands. "And... how are mother and father, and Myles and Beckett?"

Butler looked down. "Well… they miss you a lot," he answered. Artemis's heart throbbed painfully, but he showed no sign of angst, which Butler didn't seem surprised about. "They really want to visit. Myles and Beckett won't stop complaining, and even Juliet's not acting the same." Butler didn't seem to be able to stop. "She started telling me things that I never knew she cared about. She was worried about you… and Holly."

Artemis stiffened, his attention captured. He felt a wave of paranoia wash over him. "What was she talking about?" he persisted.

Butler shook his head, seeming to realise he had upset Artemis by accident. "Just… your friendship."

"What about it, Butler?" Artemis, in all his haste, didn't realise he had said a four letter sentence until he re-counted the words in his head. _Bad luck! Death! _his mind screamed. Artemis shuddered, digging his nails into his palms. He winced as his long nails sunk into his skin. He found that it helped. He knew his palms were bleeding, but he _enjoyed _the pain. He _wanted _the pain to consume his thoughts. He stifled a moan.

Butler eyed him sceptically. "Artemis, it's just a number," he murmured.

Artemis smiled menacingly. "You don't understand." As he said it, he dug his nail further into his skin, releasing a small cry of pleasure.

Butler stood hurriedly. "Artemis! Are you—what are you doing?" He grabbed the teenager's fists. Blood trickled down them, and Butler felt sick when he saw Artemis smiling in pleasure. He grabbed Artemis's face. "Stop that!" he yelled, his voice fearful.

Artemis laughed, his features twisting, his eyes dark. "No, I don't think I will," he snarled. It seemed to Butler as if he was purposely speaking everything but fives.

Butler slammed his hand into the red button on the wall to signal for help, and then forced one of Artemis's fists open, gasping as he saw the damage. The wounds were deep, and he had defiantly punctured a vein, because blood squirted from it, forcing Butler to press his palm firmly against it. _How did he do that? _Butler wondered in shock.

Artemis had completely lost it, and by the time Dr. Argon and his nurses raced in, he was already laughing hysterically. Butler was absolutely terrified. "Four!" Artemis yelled, shuddering straight after. It seemed to drive him further. "Four! Four! Four! Four!" He screamed in fear, yet laughed like a maniac straight after. "I like four! Don't you?"

"Hold him down!" Dr. Argon ordered. The nurses had to hold his palms open and bandage them tightly, while Butler held the jerking teenager down. Dr. Argon rolled a machine over to Artemis. He took of the mask that hung on the small hook and turned on the machine. The sound of gas being pumped into the mask filled the room.

Butler's eyes widened. "Is that laughing gas? Are you serious?"

Artemis grinned. "You're going to drug me now… perfect! Thanks a lot for _protecting _me!" He thrashed against Butler and the nurses, growling at them. Butler shook his head, guilt clawing at him.

"I know what I'm doing, Butler," Dr. Argon assured, before placing the mask on Artemis's mouth. Artemis protested in shock, his voice a muffled yell.

"I promise, Artemis, it's for your own good," Dr. Argon said calmly.

Artemis stared at Butler through betrayed, narrowed eyes. So many emotions were in his eyes; anger, frustration, sadness, but the worst was the look of loneliness that only Butler could identify. It wasn't the first time he had seen it.

"Is it possible he has bi-polar?" Butler questioned nervously.

"Very possible," the gnome confirmed, watching the now still boy.

Artemis eventually slipped into a tranquil state, his eyes barely open. Dr. Argon took the mask off him. "Hey," Artemis mumbled, "give it back." A few seconds later, he seemed to forget about it completely. He lifted a bony finger to point lazily at the ceiling, a smile tugging at his lips. "Green," he murmured. "Holly likes green." A giggle escaped him. Butler had never heard such a vulnerable sound leave his young charge's mouth. "Ooh, hazel. You know, I like hazel." His eyes drifted to Dr. Argon. "I really hate you," he giggled. "I know you hate me too, there's no point trying to deny it." A hiccup left him.

Butler felt his chest constrict. He knew Artemis would hate himself later. To see him at such a low level of dignity was hard, even for Dr. Argon, who had a sympathetic look in his eyes.

Mane, Alistair and Orion were on the floor, giggling and mumbling nonsense like Artemis was. Mane and Orion were basically draped over each other, arguing about nothing.

"Imagine if we were all cats," Mane muttered. "No war, no fighting, just us, minding our own business, chillin'."

"Unicorns are pretty," Orion mumbled. "If I was a—"

"Shut up, idiot," Alistair interrupted. "I'm Holly's boyfriend. We like had this _amazing_ make out session, but you were asleep."

Orion chuckled. "No, my sweet princess only has eyes for me. You must have been dreaming."

Mane laughed. "You little you-know-what, Ali."

"That was some potential _foul _language." Orion giggled. "Get it?"

"Dimwit," Alistair answered.

"Look in the mirror," Orion retorted. "Yeah, beat that, you... turtle." He yawned.

There was a silence. "Hey," Mane slurred, "you guys tired?"

There was series of mumbles as everyone blacked out.

If Isidore, Quid, and Addison had been out there, Mane, Orion and Alistair would have seen them experience much the same reaction as themselves.

. . .

Juliet gently patted Beckett's head, stroking through the soft strands of hair. "I miss simple-toon," Beckett complained.

Myles sat in the grass, staring numbly at a small ladybug that was crawling along a fallen leaf. Juliet leaned over and pressed her lips to his head. "It's okay, dears. He just needs to… rest. He'll get better." She was immensely thankful that they were too young to really understand what was happening. She had enough trouble coping with it herself. She never saw her brother, limited to a phone call or two a day. But the worst feeling was worry, worry for Artemis. She wanted to hug him and tell him not to be scared, but she knew it wasn't that simple.

She had just received a call from Butler. He had been distraught. Apparently, Artemis had been given laughing gas because he was purposely hurting himself. Juliet had almost fallen to bits then and there. _How could Artemis Fowl sink so low? _

Myles crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. "I want to see him," he said. Beckett nodded, looking up at Juliet with expectant eyes.

"Soon, okay?" Juliet murmured. _Hopefully._

* * *

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	5. Pretense

**A/N: I'm sorry for the delayed update! ****Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! **

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**Chapter Five: Pretense**

Quaid stared at the wall, his eyes barely open, tears streaming silently down his pale cheeks. He hurt terribly. Every muscle in his body cried to move, yet he ignored it, settled on his knees with his back hunched unnaturally. For him, life didn't seem all that worth it. What was there for him to do? _No one cares if I stick around, _he thought, a tear joining onto another and sliding down his jaw. He wiped it away, feeling his heart sink.

He could hear all of the alters outside, arguing and frighting. He couldn't believe what Addison had done to Holly. In fact, it almost made him furious enough to go and give him a good beating.

The only thing that kept him from destroying himself was Artemis's friends, _his_ friends. Not that they knew him. But Holly drove him forward through the endless nights and days of boredom and depression. She was the light in his dark world. Just thinking about her face calmed him. She was so warm, with her toned skin and gentle hazel eye… for one was Artemis's blue eye.

He wanted to go out, he wanted to see her. But something held him back. He wasn't scared, but he couldn't imagine waltzing out and feigning happiness, because he felt far from it. He didn't want to explain why he hadn't come out of his room. He didn't want to kill himself—he couldn't imagine Artemis would ever recover if he did that. He winced as he heard Isidore's quiet sobbing from the other room. He knew it was Isidore, although he didn't know how. He felt a pang of sympathy fill him.

. . .

Artemis woke to a throbbing head. He didn't know what to think. Feeling like his life was swirling out of control again, he forced his weary eyes open. There he lay, in a big heap of identical teenagers. He didn't know how he knew who was who, but something about their faces set them apart. Perhaps it was the slight pout on Alistair's lips, or the gentle grimace on Mane's features. Artemis felt a wave of nausea wash over him. He tapped the cold floorboards in a frantic, unorganised manner.

He didn't understand why he couldn't brush away the tingling shame filling his chest. The past events suddenly hit him, unexpectedly and hastily. Artemis's eyes widened and his breath hitched. He remembered staring at the ceiling, saying things he couldn't comprehend, Butler's sad eyes, the deep sense of… something he had felt for Holly.

A deep chuckle sounded from behind him, pulling him from his reverie.

"You are_ so_ pathetic."

A shudder ran down Artemis's spine, searing hate growing inside him. He slowly turned his head. Addison stood near the mind-screen, his smirk painfully mocking. His mismatched eyes held mischief. Artemis stood hurriedly, ignoring the pain in his head, and ran for the screen. Addison laughed, disappearing into the black void.

"Oh no! The fours are going to eat me!" yelled Addison mockingly, his voice distant.

A growl escaped Artemis as he tripped over. The screen was hardly a metre away, and he knew he wouldn't beat Addison, but an incredible instinct to protect his friends fell over him.

"Artemis!"

Artemis ignored Oisin, picking himself of the floor. As he entered the screen, he wondered if Addison had already surfaced. When the fours appeared, Artemis cursed. He squeezed his eyes shut and swung his hands around in all directions, trying to somehow make the fours dissipate. _Death, _they chanted. _Four is death, death is four._ Panic clawed at him. He couldn't deal with the immense fear tearing him apart. He knew they weren't really there, but what did it matter? In the chaos of his wild imagination, they _were. _Artemis's breaths came in short bursts as he succumbed to the terror. He was about to sink to the ground, when a hand grasped his shoulder. Artemis shrugged Oisin off, striding further towards the surface.

"Wait, Artemis," Oisin warned anxiously. "It could be dangerous trying to fight for our body."

Artemis's eyes darkened and he paused. "_My _body," he argued.

"… Artemis, I know it's difficult to accept—"

"You're not part of me!" Artemis yelled, losing his façade. He spun around, and even though he couldn't see Oisin, pointed in the direction of his voice, his eyes narrowed sharply. "I don't have a _gentle _or _crazy _side. I think I know who I am, thanks."

He heard Oisin sigh. "… I'm just trying to help—"

"I don't need your help! Leave me alone!" With that, Artemis turned and continued forwards.

"You need us," he heard Oisin murmur before a force collided against his body. Artemis growled, pushing his weight against it. It didn't budge, not an inch. He almost wanted to disappear. He immediately regretted not allowing Butler to teach him how to lift weights.

"It won't move, Artemis, not unless Addison wants it too," Oisin said from behind him, sympathetic.

Artemis let out a deep breath. He felt embarrassed. He hated the feeling. "Just… leave," he said quietly.

"… But the fours."

Artemis buried his face into his hands with the knowledge that Oisin couldn't see him. After a few seconds, he lifted his head, walking back to the mind-office after giving the invisible force one last push. To his relief, Mane, Orion and Alistair weren't awake yet, saving him an awkward explanation. He didn't want to go back to his room, but he didn't want to be with Oisin. Artemis felt like the alter could see right through him.

Oisin stepped out behind Artemis. He stopped. The identical teenagers looked to the screen simultaneously, their hearts racing. It was blank.

"His eyes must be closed," Oisin commented.

Holly's head lay on the mattress, buried in her crossed arms. Drifting in and out of sleep, she was exhausted. The warm blanket smelled like Artemis, calming her. She loved the smell of his cologne too, but his natural body odour was her favourite. Not that she would ever, _ever _admit it to anyone. The teenager was still restrained, which was the only reason Holly felt safe enough to be so close. She didn't know what Addison and Artemis could have gotten up to, but she hoped they were alright, especially Artemis.

She shifted her head, smiling softly when she saw the teenager's pale face. He looked peaceful. His raven hair was dishevelled, poking out in all directions. He suddenly seemed a great deal younger than usual. The premature wrinkles that used to cease his forehead were gone, leaving his forehead smooth. Holly's eyes fell upon his lips. They looked dry and discoloured, acquiring a purple tint. His accented cheekbones rested under his fluttering eyelids, which puzzled Holly. _I thought his body was unoccupied...? _Holly reached out and ran her finger along his jaw. He flinched abruptly, his eyes snapping open. Holly retracted her hand, gasping in surprise.

She couldn't identify him. His mismatched eyes were gentle but… something else was there. In his eyes flashed a deep feeling Holly couldn't identify fast enough before he smiled kindly. It was startling to see such a gentle expression on his face.

"… Who are you?" Holly asked quietly.

The teenager's smile grew. "I'm Isidore," he murmured.

"What?" Artemis exclaimed. _I should have known he would do this!_

Oisin's eyes were wider than usual. He simply shook his head in disbelief. "Oh no, Holly," he muttered.

Holly smiled hesitantly, unsure. "Oh… I'm Holly—you know that… right?"

He nodded softly, and Holly thought she saw him flinch. "... Yeah," he confirmed, his hands twitching at his sides.

Holly studied him closely, her eyes calculating. The teenager was unable to hold her stare. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Isidore glanced at the clock on the wall, before his eyes drifted to Holly. Holly couldn't help but feel odd. The way he scanned the room like he was calculating something was so ominous. "… Well… I could eat something, I guess," he murmured, staring at his fidgeting hands in his lap.

"I can't leave you all alone," Holly said, not unkindly, but seriously.

The teenager frowned. "You don't trust me," he murmured sadly, lifting his eyes to give her the most heartbreaking expression.

Holly winced. "It's not you alone… Do you know what happened to Artemis?"

Isidore's eyes sobered. "What?"

Holly sighed. "Why didn't you come out before?"

"I… I get nervous," he mumbled. He seemed to be growing frustrated. "Trust me, I'll be fine. Go." Just as he said it, a knock on the door interrupted them. Holly turned to see Dr. Argon peek in.

Holly smiled, relieved. "Doctor," she greeted. Dr. Argon bowed his head, eyeing Isidore carefully. Isidore smiled innocently. Dr. Argon straightened, stepping fully into the room. "Holly," he said patiently.

"Oh, of course," Holly sputtered, glancing nervously at Isidore before slipping from the room, shutting the door behind her.

Dr. Argon settled into his seat, his clipboard in his small hands. He scrawled a note down before lifting his eyes. "I have no way of proving you are who you say, so don't think you're tricking me."

Isidore blinked, showing no alarm. "Okay," he said. "I'm Isidore."

Dr. Argon wrote something down, and then asked, "Holly told me that _Oisin _explained there's an office in your head…?"

Isidore frowned, his mismatched eyes seemingly troubled. "Yes, that's right," he answered belatedly.

"What worries you?" Dr. Argon demanded, scribbling down more notes.

"I do not recall meeting anyone called Oisin," he explained.

In their head, Artemis growled. "There has to be so—"

"Wait." Oisin held a hand up, silencing him. His mismatched eyes never strayed from the screen. Feeling undignified, Artemis stared in surprise at him.

"Is that so?" Dr. Argon said. Isidore nodded, meeting the gnome's eyes.

**MANE**

Mane felt so sick. His head throbbed… and throbbed. He could hear voices in the background. He immediately knew they belonged to Artemis and Oisin. _What now? _he thought

"I don't think Dr. Argon is fooled," Oisin's voice murmured.

Mane attempted to open my eyes but was hit with a wave of nausea. He sighed quietly and waited, listening with keen ears. He briefly remembered lying on the floor and arguing with Orion, Alistair and Oisin. _That was a pathetic argument… Why are they so silent? Maybe I should just speak… I could have thought of that before._

"Guys?"

"… Mane," Oisin greeted quickly, "are you okay?" Mane thought he sounded startled. Oisin was a calm person, so he instantly worried.

Mane nodded lazily, confused by his tone. "Yeah, I'm fine—now what's going on?"

"Mane… you can open your eyes." Oisin sounded nervous.

"I'm still attempting to," Mane replied hesitantly. "My head is killing though."

He heard footsteps approach him, feeling a warm hand touch his forehead. "Just—"

**ORION**

"Oisin, pay attention," demanded Artemis's voice.

Orion recalled feinting, and Alistair trying to outsmart him in an argument. _What could Artemis possibly be annoyed about now? _He didn't really care until he started muttering to himself—about Orion's sweet petal of course, otherwise Orion really wouldn't have been concerned.

"What is he hurts Holly?" Artemis stressed.

"What?" It was Mane speaking. He sounded unusually weary.

Orion opened his eyes, shooting up like a bullet. Artemis and Oisin stood, while Mane lay sprawled across the floor, his eyes still closed—Orion had no idea why. Alistair was there as well. He looked like he was still asleep._ Who rests when my angel is in potential danger?_

"What is the matter?" Orion demanded, staring at the mind-screen in confusion. The doctor was talking to—why did Orion have a strange sense that it was Addison?

**ALISTAIR**

_Okay, so waking up to Orion acting like a melodramatic girl seems to be coming progressively normal._ _Why is he always, always speaking like he's in a corny soap opera? _

"Addison is pretending to be Isidore," Oisin's voice said quietly.

Alistair's eyes opened abruptly, a chill running down his spine. Artemis was pacing around the room, his eyes trained on the floor as he listened. Oisin and Orion glanced at Alistair, their expressions ones of trepidation. For once, Alistair didn't feel like making a joke.

This was bad and Alistair knew it...

Addison grinned menacingly as Dr. Argon glanced at the heart monitor. He neutralised his expression as the doctor's eyes fell upon him once more.

"Your heart rate seems to be fairly normal," Dr. Argon observed. "Though I'm curious—has Artemis been acting normal in your head?"

Addison shrugged, feigning an innocent expression. "Relatively," he replied.

"Hmm." Dr. Argon frowned. "Describe this mind-office, if you may."

Addison couldn't believe how well it was all going for him. _All I need is a little patience… and caffeine. _He needed to stay awake, or he knew Artemis would take over, and he couldn't imagine being stuck in the mind-office again, alone in his room…

"Isidore?"

Dr. Argon's voice roused Addison from his thoughts. "Yes, of course," Addison said quickly, giving the gnome his full attention. He explained the mind-office with truth, for it wouldn't aid him if he lied anyway. The doctor listened without interruption.

When Dr. Argon finished writing, he asked, "What about Quaid and Addison? Have you met them yet? Have you been in your room all this time?"

Addison almost chuckled but resisted, making sure to keep his voice quiet and innocent. _He actually thinks I'm Isidore!_ "I've been in my room all this time… I don't really know what has been happening."

"I see," muttered Dr. Argon, scrutinising Addison under a curious eye…

Isidore hadn't dared to go near the door. Tears streamed down his pale cheeks as he listened.

"I need to protect my angel!" cried the melodramatic voice. He didn't know how, but he knew that his name was Orion.

"Shut up, retard," snapped someone he knew was Alistair.

"Both of you," Mane pleaded, "stop."

"He's right," Oisin chided gently, calming Isidore's nerves slightly.

_Addison is trying to be me? _Isidore was utterly terrified. He wished that they weren't aware of his existence. He wished he was invisible. He didn't want to face anyone, not ever. He knew he was a coward, but he couldn't help it. Every time he strained to hear the alters' conversations, they were talking about a problem, about Addison, Quaid or even _him_.

Isidore shuddered. He wanted to see Holly. He _needed _her warm arms to encompass him. He needed someone to talk to. He was extremely attracted to her, almost to the point of obsession. She kept him from hurting himself. He loved her, and it crushed him that she didn't even know him.

. . .

As soon as Holly entered the Ops booth, she sighed tiredly. She stared at Foaly's hooves as he approached her.

"You okay?" the centaur asked softly. Holly nodded, closing her eyes and stepping forwards to wrap her arms around her friend. She felt Foaly stiffen before returning the gesture. He patted her back comfortingly. It had been some time since they had talked. It was as if Foaly realised she didn't want to talk about it, because he stayed completely silent.

* * *

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	6. The Message

**A/N: Thanks to all you lovely readers and reviewers! You are amazing and awesome!**

**Enjoy!**

**NOTE: Addison is pretending to be Isidore. Isidore has not come out yet.**

**Chapter Six: The Message **

Butler wandered through the clinic, eying the smartphone in his bulky hands. On the screen displayed a small tab reading _24 missed calls_, all from a number he recognised as Angeline's mobile. He frowned. He wanted to reassure her that everything was fine, but he knew she wouldn't believe him unless he allowed her to visit. Butler didn't think that was a wise thing to do, granting that Dr. Argon, then Holly, had informed him that _Isidore _was occupying Artemis's body, and had been for quite a while.

A small hiss roused the bodyguard from his thoughts. Surprised, he immediately went into overdrive, his eyes raking around the hall surreptitiously. Rows of plastic seats lined the edges of the hall, a few bins spaced neatly where the seats separated.

Butler strained his ears, wondering if all this sleep deprivation was getting to his head. He just about jumped out of his skin when his phone vibrated roughly in his hands.

It was a message from a private number. Butler read it with growing confusion, his eyes widening.

_Summer looms, daisies bloom  
24 trees, 24 bees  
Reside in peace… until chaos bleeds  
Time wears thin  
Evil shall win_

Butler blinked, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. _Is this some sort of joke? Foaly, perhaps?_ But Butler knew it wasn't from Foaly. Foaly didn't joke, not like this at least. _He's pretty terrible at writing poems… Though, being the tech freak the centaur is, he could easily text me with a private number… _

Butler knew Holly was at work, and that Dr. Argon was talking to Isidore again. He rushed forwards; unaware of the invisible silhouettes shimmering against the white wall.

. . .

Foaly was in the Ops booth, watching the multiple TV screens he had set up outside Artemis's room. If a fairy chose to try and sneak in invisible, their form would appear a bright orange. Holly had helped him test it, and it worked surprisingly well. Holly didn't bother asking him how he managed to invent such a machine.

Trouble had been impressed, but warned the centaur not to create or sell any to the people, for it was an '_invasion of privacy'_—as he had put it. The hall was empty at the moment, so Foaly swivelled around on his custom chair and began to gossip to a very worried looking No.1, a ravenous Mulch—who was stuffing his face with various foods.

"Apparently, Trouble's still got a _thing _for Holly!" Foaly was nervous, which is why he began to laugh uncontrollably. No.1 seemed to realise that. He sighed softly, smiling ruefully. Mulch, like usual was eating to quench his worry, for he _was _indeed anxious. He missed Artemis, as much embarrassment as this revelation brought him.

Butler banged his fist against the double doors of the Ops booth, giving Foaly an urgent look through the glass. Foaly stopped laughing, and pressed a small red button on the desk of controls, unlocking the doors.

Butler silently walking in, handing the phone to the centaur, ignoring the questioning looks on Mulch and No.1's faces. Foaly glanced up at Butler after reading the message.

"Did you write it?" Butler asked.

"No," Foaly said without amusement. "I don't know if I can track down who sent this… Anyone could have… You sure this isn't some kind of joke?"

"Does it look like one?"

"Not at all."

"What are you two rambling about?" No.1 demanded. Foaly handed the phone to Butler, who handed it to No.1. Mulch stood on the couch and looked over No.1's shoulder.

No.1 didn't move for a long time. "What?" he muttered.

Mulch looked up. "It's has be a joke," he said. "I mean, whoever sent was probably trying to freak you out with the coincidence that you have 24 missed calls and the poem has 24 in it as well."

Butler and Foaly shared a startled look.

"Those were from Angeline, though," Butler argued, a shiver running down his spine.

"But were they?" Foaly asked.

. . .

Holly moved quietly through the streets of Haven, trying to stay out of the artificial lights, walking with her eyes cast to the ground and her head hung. Work had been cut out for her. Trouble always hung around and talked to her, which she appreciated. He seemed overly friendly sometimes, but Holly was too preoccupied to care. Memories of Artemis's face filled her mind for the better part of her day. Every morning she woke, Artemis filled her mind and her heart leapt. She stayed indoors most of the time. Visiting Artemis was difficult, but Butler was always eager to watch over him and take her shifts. Not that Holly liked it. She wanted to sit by him and, hell, even meet whatever other strange personalities that resided inside his head. She didn't know what to think of Isidore. He was… strange, mysterious.

"Miss?" a voice of a female asked, rousing her from her thoughts.

Holly's heart sank a little further. _Oh, for god's sake. _She lifted her head to find that the origin of the voice belonged to pixie. Never had she seen this pixie, but she seemed rather harmless. Her wavy brown hair cascaded down her slim frame. She had two large, innocent hazel eyes. Her smile was friendly, but Holly wasn't fooled.

"I'm not taking questions about Artemis," Holly said with finality, her expression firm.

The pixie shook her head quickly. "… I was just going to ask if you're okay... You seemed glum."

Holly eyed the pixie suspiciously. _Yeah. Thanks. _"I'm fine. Now, if you'll excuse me." Holly brushed past the pixie hotly. "I don't need pity," she muttered to herself as she approached the steps of the J. Argon Clinic. _I need Artemis. _She felt embarrassed for thinking it, for her heart seemed to feel something it probably shouldn't have. _I just miss my friend, that's all. _Her heart seemed to pump a few beats faster as she thought it.

Butler stood by Artemis's door, his eyes sharp. He seemed on edge. He didn't even notice Holly, who was standing in front of him, albeit not at his height. But that wasn't her fault. Holly hesitated before taping his arm. Butler jolted in surprise—and because the ceilings were so low—his head collided with it.

Holly hands flew to her mouth, her mismatched eyes wide. "Sorry!"

Butler's eyes shot to her, his cheeks colouring. "It's okay," he blurted.

Holly paused before breaking into a fit of giggles. Butler tried to smile—she could tell—but the wrinkled ceasing his forehead gave his concern away. Holly's mirth dissipated straight away, and scenarios started filling her head. Because she couldn't keep her thoughts to herself, she began to vocalise them in a long string of incoherent speech.

"Is he oka—did he hurt himse—did Dr. Argon say someth—Butler, why won't you tell me?"

Butler held his hands out. "Calm down. He's fine. Dr. Argon is talking to him."

Holly's head still burst with questions. She tried to calculate the amount of worry emanating of Artemis's bodyguard, hoping to find relief. Butler's eyes were wider than usual and his hands shook slightly. "About what?" she demanded.

"I don't know… But I'm not worried about Isidore—I got this message earlier." Butler took out a piece of paper and handed it to Holly. "Foaly wanted my phone to investigate," he explained.

Holly eyes narrowed as she read the text. She didn't know why, but something in her gut told her something was seriously wrong. _Why does trouble always find that boy? _ "What is this?" she demanded, her voice louder than she expected.

"I don't know," Butler said. "Foaly has been trying to track down the number all day."

"No progress?" asked the elf nervously.

"… Foaly said he needed a little more time—You know how he is when he's concentrating."

Holly sighed deeply. "Yep," she replied, smiling sadly. "You okay, big guy?"

Butler mirrored her expression. "Yeah. Are you?"

Holly nodded, chuckling. "Coping."

Butler chuckled with her. "Fair enough."

Holly released a shaky breath. "… Have you talked to him?" she asked, her voice solemn.

"… A little," Butler admitted, releasing her and standing. Holly wiped her face wearily and nodded, meeting Butler's eyes, searching for information.

"Is he still acting strangely?"

Butler nodded, smiling uncertainly. "A little reserved… He's a bit quiet. He didn't say much."

What did he say?" Holly asked.

"… He asked if we're well," Butler replied. "He asked me where you were—I guess he expected you to be there."

"Isidore said this?" Holly was surprised.

"Yeah," Butler assured. "He's not bad."

Holly still found his behaviour startling. She couldn't read his eyes, but when she stared closely enough into them, a sense of déjà vu encompassed her. He was familiar, yet apparently they had never met before the previous day.

. . .

Dr. Argon frowned. "Isidore, you are in no condition to be walking. You need rest, and we need to start the shock treatment soon."

Isidore paled, his fists clenching. "Shock treatment?" he muttered.

"It's okay," Dr. Argon assured. "I've done this before. I'm a doctor." Isidore stared in terror at the ceiling, his mismatched hard. He stayed mute. "I know what I'm doing… You want Artemis to heal… don't you?"

Isidore blinked. "Yes, yes, of course—I just…" He looked at Dr. Argon, his eyes calculating. "I'm scared," he said quietly, lifting his troubled gaze. He was quite an ominous sight, his black pupils dilating and constricting just slightly, one against deep, raging blue, the other against warm hazel. His lips quivered, and his hair sprouted in all directions, giving the boy a wild appearance.

"How do we get this moron back in here?" Artemis asked aloud, staring at the mind screen in frustration. In truth, he was nervous, more than he had been in a long time. Or it seemed so, to him anyway.

"Maybe we can all hold hands and pray," Orion suggested from the couch in the corner of the room. Even Mane gave him an _'are you serious' _look from beside him. Orion blinked, eyeing him. "What? I'd like to see you come up with a better idea!"

Mane averted his eyes, oddly sober. Orion seemed alarmed that he didn't talk back either.

Alistair banged his forehead against the table, groaning. "Wow, that's a great idea, Orion," he spat sarcastically.

"Leave him, he was just trying to help," Oisin said calmly from next to Artemis.

"We need Isidore and Quaid," Mane murmured, staring at the rooms near the end of the wall. "They complete us." Artemis looked at him, seemingly open to ideas. He was desperate.

"How would that do anything?" Alistair questioned, lifting his head. "They 're obviously not cool with us. They haven't come out once!"

Oisin stood suddenly. "You're right, Mane" he said. The alters watched in surprise as he approached the third last door along the wall.

* * *

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	7. Disarray

**Sorry, I've been so busy lately-I know, it sucks when fanfics take ages to update because it's not fair and why should you put up with this-sorryyy**

**I really hope you enjoy...**

**Chapter Seven: Disarray **

Quaid paused at Isidore's door, then turned, signalling for Mane to join him. Mane hesitantly rose from his seat, glancing back at the alters at the table. They were all watching the mind-screen. Oisin put his finger to his lips, then gently knocked on the door.

"Isidore?" he called gently.

Silence. The muffled sobs ceased completely.

Oisin grimaced, gently turning the door knob. It was locked. "Isidore, we won't hurt you."

There was no reply.

Mane frowned slightly. "We can't get through the lock?"

Oisin glanced at him, shaking his head a no. He looked genuinely sad, placing his palm flat on the door. Then he spoke, his tone the most gentle tone Mane had ever heard.

"I know you're frightened, Isidore, "he began, "but we won't hurt you. That was never our intention."

It occurred to Mane that the alters outside had been yelling and carrying on earlier in the day, that Artemis and Addison _did attack _each other.

Oisin seemed to read his mind. "I know what happened earlier, but that was just Artemis and Addison. You won't have to be involved. I'll make sure they don't get in each other's way again... Isidore?"

Nothing.

Oisin abruptly looked desperate, his calm expression faltering. His tone stayed the same, though, as he asked, "Could you please knock on the wall if you hear me?"

At first, Mane thought nothing would happen again. Then the tinniest knock sounded. It sounded far away, but in Isidore's room.

_Maybe he's got a large room? _

Oisin sighed, somewhat relieved. "Thank you," he murmured. "I'm Oisin... You know that... Just... please think about what I said. We need you, Isidore."

He then moved along to the next door. He smiled calmly at Mane's excited and somehow awkward smile. "Did you hear that, Quaid?"

Quaid must have been less frightened than Isidore, because he knocked softly on the wall straightaway.

Oisin could say nothing more, but, "When you're ready then."

Exhaustion was beginning to wear out Addison's patience.

Pretending to be Isidore was difficult when every ounce of his person tried to reject the kindness he was so unaccustomed to showing. Addison blinked as his eyes began to droop. He couldn't just fall asleep. Not now. He stared intensely at the door of his room, expecting someone to appear.

Artemis hadn't slept, not once. The concept of living in one's mind didn't go down well. Although the teenager could do most of what normal people can—drink, eat, sleep—he found himself undeniably stuck. He felt alone and—as much as he hated to admit—unable to function properly. He didn't speak but stared intensely at the mind-screen, deep regret in his eyes. Oisin had sat by his side the whole time, and did attempt many times through the night to convince Artemis to sleep, but to no avail. Orion, Mane and Alistair had tried hard to stay awake, but Addison had done nothing but stared at the opposite wall of the room for the last five hours. Mane and Orion lay on the massive couch in the corner of the room, tangled in a heap because of some stupid argument.

_The alters stared at the mind-screen, stared at the blank wall Addison had stared at for the last three hours. _

"_My sweet angel must be protected by the bodyguard of Wonderland," murmured Orion from his comfortable spot on the couch. He looked 100% serious. _

_Neither Artemis or Oisin acknowledged the comment._

_Alistair didn't say anything for once, lost in his own little world, his knees drawn to his chest. He sat beside Mane on the purple couch, who sat beside Orion. _

_Mane blinked in boredom. "You mean Butler?" he asked, poking Orion in the ribs._

_Orion squealed, scrambling to the far corner of the massive couch. "Don't touch me, you imbecile! I'm serious!"_

_Mane grinned, hyper, and leapt onto a screaming Orion. He was so bored. Who could blame him? _

_Artemis._

_Artemis could blame him._

"_Shut up," snapped Artemis, turning away from the screen to glare at them._

_Mane and Orion stared wide-eyed at Artemis and waited until he averted his attention, and then got straight back to their now silent argument. Mane tickled Orion, who was trying so hard not to cry of laughter, his hand clamped over his mouth. When Orion finally got free, he elbowed Mane in the side. Mane doubled over, silently laughing. They cut it out after a while, exhausted. Alistair just stared at them in shock until they fell asleep._

Alistair left after that, but no one bothered questioning him. Oisin only shot him a sympathetic smile.

**ALISTAIR**

Alistair had begun writing a dairy the night he had disappeared to go to his room.

Alistair had actually begun writing a dairy.

He was extremely embarrassed in himself, but as soon as his pen touched the pale white page, he couldn't stop writing, finding it the only way to express his innermost feelings, which were tearing him apart. He also knew he could destroy the notebook if he wanted to. No one outside Artemis's head would ever be able to see it. No one really knew how sensitive Alistair was. He never showed it. Though he didn't fake his "hormonal teenager thing". He _was_ a legitimate a classic annoying teenager, but when he was troubled, he was troubled. He wrote a starling amount of words. For him, at least.

He ripped out the first few pages in disgust at himself, but he then realised that he felt slightly better, and so slowly, he moved to his desk again. His hand hovered over the blank page, the black pen still in his grip, urging him to write. In his notebook—which he had just imagined up out of thing air—another phenomenon that made Artemis realise that he really was a ghost inside his head, and had no real body, Alistair hesitantly began to write in his messy scrawl.

_**Day One**_

_I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm just a tad nervous. It's frighting because I don't know if Addison could actually hurt anyone, especially my friends… "Artemis's friends". They mean just as much to me as they do to him. Okay, I'm more terrified than scared. _

_And that weird message, what kind of prank is that?_

Alistair blinked in surprise, not daring to read exactly what he had written. He held nothing back as his pen and paper worked in synchronisation again.

_I love Holly. I really love Holly. I act like… well, an idiot, but I can't help it. Artemis thinks I'm a threat? More of a threat than Addison? I don't think so. If anything, a threat to his secret love for Holly—doesn't he understand that I only love Holly because I'm part of him? Though, I probably would have fallen for her even if I didn't wake up in this strange place knowing it. Addison's gonna hurt someone for sure. I don't know how much, but he will. __Maybe if they bothered listening to me, I could help! _

Alistair suddenly stopped writing and snapped his pen in two out of pure frustration. Ink squirted from the pen and pooled at the bottom of the page.

_This is pointless, _he wrote roughly with what was left of the pen before scrambling over to his bed, where he slumped onto the mattress with a groan.

. . .

Holly wasn't sure if she should be bringing Isidore coffee, but he had asked her so kindly, his innocent eyes stunning her, like usual. Holly still couldn't help but wonder at the strange gut feeling she got every time she saw Isidore. Why was there darkness to his innocence? He refused to sleep, saying Addison was waiting for a chance to surface. But that left Holly wondering how the alters were dealing with Addison.

Holly was confused, yet she always found she had a soft spot, even for Alistair and Orion, even for _Addison, _although she was frightened when the alter wasn't restrained. So many questions filled her mind, many of which she had discussed with Butler and Foaly. Foaly was suspicious of Isidore. Butler had later told Holly that Foaly's opinion was based entirely on the fact that he was trying to make sense of the scenario, but hadn't met Isidore. Everyone who had met Isidore seemed to pity him, except for Dr. Argon. The gnome seemed wary. He hadn't discussed any of his thoughts with Holly or Butler.

As soon as she opened the door to Artemis's room, _Room 24, _Artemis's attractive face wrestled her concerns to the back of her mind, leaving space only for admiration. The teenager's mismatched eyes, one of which were Holly's, lost the glassy appearance they had held seconds before.

The boy smiled gently. "Hi," he murmured His eyes seemed to ask for permission to stare into hers. Holly involuntarily found her eyes focus on his bottom lip as his teeth sunk into them. After a few seconds of silence, she smiled in embarrassment, averting her eyes as the gut feeling came back and her heart flew. It was a bittersweet feeling, one Holly had never experienced before.

"Hey," she replied, then hesitantly approached him. She held the coffee out with slight amusement. "I don't think you should drink it," she commented disapprovingly.

Isidore regarded her for a second, biting his lip again. He suddenly grinned, chuckling, and took the coffee. "Stop thinking," he answered, and for some reason, the comment had Holly blushing and giggling profusely.

The boy's eyes seemed to sober for second and Holly swore she felt Addison's presence, but it disappeared instantly.

"Are you okay?" asked the elf, her eyebrows slanted upwards in worry.

Isidore nodded quickly, answering, "Fine." He smiled, leaning back into the propped up pillows and sipped his coffee. "Mmm," he hummed in delight, his tight posture melting away.

A sharp breath left Holly's twitching lips. She felt an exuberance fall over her, and felt blessed for knowing such an amazing person. She stopped herself suddenly. _What the hell? _

"Holly?"

Holly opened her eyes to see Isidore watching her with wide eyes. She shook her head, settling into the seat beside his bed. "I'm just tired," she said. Isidore seemed to tremble at the word _tired. _Holly frowned. "Hey, you must be super tired," she complained. "Sleep."

Isidore gulped down the rest of his coffee as if he seemed fearful she would take it. "No, I'm not tired," he argued. Holly sighed, taking the cup of him and placing it on the bedside table. Isidore's eyes lowered to his hands on his lap. Holly watched him. He seemed uncomfortable under her gaze, shifting slightly, glancing up at her every few seconds.

Holly reached in and grasped his left hand, holding it in both of hers. Isidore flinched before his whole body slumped further into the mattress. His hands quivered in hers, and the contact between them seemed to pulse gently, warm against warm. Isidore's eyes fluttered closed for a brief second. "Sleep," Holly repeated softly. "I'll get Dr. Argon. We'll be ready to restrain Addison if he comes out."

The teenager's face twisted in pain, and he abruptly pulled away his hand as if she had stung him. "I'm not tired," he snapped viciously, his eyes suddenly dark.

Holly felt the gut feeling again. She knew something was wrong, but the truth rested hidden deep in her thoughts, unreachable. "W-what… Isidore… I don't understand."

"No," agreed the boy icily, averting his eyes, "you don't."

Holly stood slowly. Isidore glanced to her in panic, his mismatched eyes suspicious. Holly leaned towards him, grasping his face in her hands. She searched his eyes intently. He tried to squirm from her gaze but Holly only leaned closer every time. The boy closed his eyes stubbornly. Holly ignored the fact, and stared at him in confusion, mixed in with worry and heavy infatuation. Her heart pumped, giving her knowledge of both these facts.

Holly's heart ached for him, for she was suddenly reminded of how cold Artemis had once been. Now, she could see through the façade, and her protecting instinct for her friend kicked in—even though Isidore wasn't exactly Artemis. Holly still knew he was part of Artemis, perhaps he was the rejected, cold part. Addison's screaming voice suddenly filled her mind.

"_Leave me alone! Leave me in the dark!" _

Holly couldn't call that evil. She couldn't. She knew Addison had a heart, somewhere deep down. _He has to… doesn't he? _ She didn't know for sure, but she knew she had a soft spot for Artemis, and the strange alters—Dr. Argon had told her—were part of Artemis. And she had to hope Addison did really care, because she had been surprised by Artemis many times, Orion, Oisin and Alistair being perfect examples of this fact.

She slowly wound her arms around the teenager's pale neck, pulling him close to her. One of her arms rested across his shoulders, while the other wound along the back of his head, her hand resting in his soft, jet black hair. Isidore's whole body went stiff. Holly stroked his hair once, and all he did was stay completely still. Holly wasn't sure what he was feeling, but he seemed shocked silent. His hands hung limply at his sides. She could feel his heart hammering against her chest, his shallow breaths skimming her pointed ear. They stayed like this for minutes, no words between them, just the unspoken sensation of their intimate contact.

A knock on the door made Holly pull away, albeit hesitantly. "Come in," she managed.

The teenager refused to meet her gaze as she moved away from the bed. He leant back into the mattress and fidgeted with the covers, his movements rigid, his eyes boring into a scene Holly couldn't see.

Dr. Argon met Holly at the door with a small nod. "Still Isidore?" he asked.

Holly nodded mutely and slid past him. She didn't know where she was going, but as she left, Holly saw the boy lift his head through a crack in the curtain, his mismatched eyes troubled.

. . .

Foaly frowned when he saw Holly. The centaur had been hanging around with Butler in the Ops booth, discussing the text message from the private number. Just as Foaly buzzed Holly in, Butler's phone went off. Foaly looked to the smartphone in interest, wondering if they would receive another message.

"Angeline," Butler explained with a sigh, standing to leave the room.

Foaly shot him a sympathetic look. He knew how annoying women could be.

Butler smiled as he passed Holly, unaware of her mood. Foaly sighed as Holly slumped into the couch. "You want to talk about it?" he asked.

Holly shook her head. "Nope."

A smile twitched at the centaur's lips. "You still manage to—"

Butler suddenly burst into the room, his expression one of pure dread, disbelief.

"What?" Holly demanded nervously.

The phone in Butler's trembling hands answered her question.

"_T-time i-is w-w-earing t-hin."_

It was Angeline's voice, Holly knew it. Her blood ran cold in the span of a millisecond. _Things just had to get worse!_

A new voice came out of the speakers. It was a croaky, rough voice. _"24 trees, 24 bees."_

"Listen up, jackass," she spat, snatching the phone from Butler. Not that he resisted. "Stop playing with us, and fight if you're so _frightening._" But the voice repeated the words again, though the person on the other end seemed angry. The phone line abruptly died, leaving a long, droning sound behind.

Holly cursed. Butler was staring at her in shock.

"Dammit, Holly!" Folly hissed. "Can't you control your temper for two seconds? We could have gotten information out of him!"

"I don't think he was under orders to tell us anything, but _24 trees, 24 bees!_" Holly argued hotly, her mismatched eyes hard. "How pathetic is that line!"

"Holly," Butler said quietly.

"What?" Holly yelled, and then realised an icon on the smartphone reading, _1 New Message. _

She opened it in silence. Her eyes read the message. Then the phone slipped out of her hands.

Foaly caught it just before it hit the ground and read the words, unable to believe them.

_Artemis Fowl's family will die.  
24 days to go.  
Save them if you can._

* * *

**Thanks for reading! **


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